10 arrested for looting, arson during transport workers'

Nepal Police on Wednesday rounded up a total of 10 people for their alleged involvement in the arson and looting incident of Monday when a protest by transport workers turned violent.

Among the 10 accused, six were arrested on charges of arson and four on charges of looting, police said.

"We have made a further arrest over the issue of arson and looting. Time would be extended for their custody to investigate further and would be made public later," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Dan Bahadur Karki of District Police Range Kathmandu said.

The police have intensified the search for those involved in looting during the protest in the Balaju area of the capital on Monday. During the protests carried out by transport workers, the angry mob entered the Lotse Mall of the new bus park area, looted various electronics from shops, and vandalized the properties.

The Police have identified four people involved in looting as Chiran Regmi, Naveen Khadgi, Sujan Khatri, and Pradeep Basnet.

Similarly, six others have been arrested on charges of setting fire and vandalizing police vans, the temporary office, and the traffic island at Balaju. The people who have been arrested have been identified as Bikram Rai, Ram Hari Bhandari, Bibek Shrestha, Rajesh Tamang, Dipendra Pun Magar, and Ashish Khadka. They have been temporarily living in Kathmandu.

Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) which is supporting the incumbent government, blamed the negligence of the Police for Monday's incident. Speaking in the Zero Hour of the Parliament on Wednesday, RSP MP Shishir Khanal called the ineffectiveness of the police operation to be the reason for damage.

Khanal said, "Is the state urging us to go abroad? It is the question that was raised to me by the entrepreneurs of Lotse Mall. The well-planned act of looting and vandalism of Lotse and Kantipur Mall inside Gongabu Bus Park was executed in name of protest by transport workers, and damage to properties worth millions has incurred."

Khanal further added, "It is evident that the inactiveness of the Police force had resulted in the damage. The Activeness of locals prevented the vandalizes from setting fire to a petrol pump. Without any political endurance, the conspirator and those involved in the activity should be booked as per the law. The businesses should be compensated and the government should create an environment of safety for the businesses."

Meanwhile, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has directed the heads of the national

security agencies to immediately investigate the incident that took place in Gongabu on

Monday. Dahal summoned the officials at his office at Singhadurbar and instructed them to investigate the incident and take action against the culprit and give justice to the victims.

"I have taken the Gongabu incident seriously. Incidents of that gravity taking place in the

capital itself is a matter of serious concern and it should be dealt with by the government accordingly," Dahal was quoted by his secretariat as saying.

Dahal asked the officials to leave no stone unturned to punish the guilty and compensate the victims at the earliest. During the meeting, the top officials from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and Central Investigation Department noted that despite the protests, they didn't anticipate such a violent incident.

In a briefing by the head of the Nepal National Security Council, 33 security personnel were

noted to have sustained injuries. The briefing also acknowledged the police's failure to act promptly. The police officials informed Dahal that an investigative team, under the Senior Superintendent of Police, had been formed to investigate the incident.